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Bloody Mary
'' For the scarezone, see'' Dark Reflections Bloody Mary (aka Dr. Mary Agana) was the original event icon created for Halloween Horror Nights Orlando's 18th event, Halloween Horror Nights: Reflections of Fear. Based on the legend of Bloody Mary, Universal created an elaborate backstory on Agana's transformation from psychiatrist to Bloody Mary. Mary made appearances in the majority of the advertisements for the event and in other aspects during the event. Background Dr. Mary Agana was introduced on the HalloweenHorrorNights.com website on July 1, 2008. Website visitors entered her office and read her journal as it appeared in 1958. Her office was shown with a large mirror reflecting her desk, initially shown as clean and orderly. In her journal appeared a letter establishing her as a psychiatrist whose methods were rejected by the National Association of Mental Health (NAMH), and whose grandmother had died and left her many of her possessions in her will. Weekly, new pages were added to the journal as she took new cases and used her methods despite the rejection letter. With each case it became clearer that her sanity was waning as she tortured her patients with fear. Treating the patients with an immersion therapy for their fears, she sent her first two patients to asylums, however her third patient was inadvertently killed during therapy. Her next journal entry showed the excitement she felt over the patient's death, and was accompanied by a change in her office becoming more disheveled. With her next case, her writing became sloppier and she scribbled many pictures on the pages. This patient and the next were both killed, although not directly by Mary herself. She began to question her own sanity in her journal, but continued to see patients. Her next two cases included one of the NAMH doctors who had rejected her and another man (Boris Shuster). She killed the doctor with her own hands and had become insane. In one of her last journal entries, Mary continually wrote August 27 on the page. Throughout that day, her office changed again, aging fifty-years to bring the website to the present. Her final journal entry was revealed as the mirror broke open and she became Bloody Mary. A paranormal investigation team founded by Shuster, Legendary Truth investigated the incident in the office on August 27, 2008, the fifty-year anniversary of Agana's transformation into Bloody Mary. They revealed her as the inspiration for the urban legend. Backstory The Old Urban Legend The Urban Legend of Bloody Mary goes back as far as anyone can remember. Everyone knows it, yet no one knows it's true source. According to the legend, the ghost named Bloody Mary is said to appear in a mirror when her name is stated three times, though there are many variations as to what happens afterward. It is believed that legend stretches as far back as Queen Mary I of England. However, the most recent and historicaly accurate version concern a doctor named Mary Agana. The Events of 1908 Mary Worthington, a school teacher in the small town of Carey, Ohio, is killed on August 27, 1908 as a result of a Halloween prank orchestrated by the school handyman, Aldridge Kesterson. Six students (Louise Hatfield, George Von Stebler, Shawn McPherson, Jim Deedle, Alice Dodgson, and Jeremiah Kubsch) were also involved in the mysterious death of their teacher; one student, Thornton Kesterson, was not present due to the persistent goading by his father, Aldridge. The schoolmaster, Mr. Renshaw, found his schoolhouse in complete disarray with blood and shards of glass scattered across the room. Although suspected murdered, Mrs. Worthington's body was never found, and was classified missing. The Events of 1958 Marie W. Agana, daughter of Mary Worthington, dies on June 20, 1958. Dr. Mary Agana, daughter of Marie W. Agana, receives a letter from Alexander Pohl, her family attorney, that informs her of the wishes of her late mother. Mary will receive several valuable silver heirlooms that originally belonged to her grandmother, Mary Worthington. Most notably, Mary receives a silver jewelry box/music box that seems to possess her over time. On June 25, 1958, Mary receives a letter from the National Association of Mental Health that informs her that the board members of the NAMH have denied funding for her immersive fear therapy program. Dr. Gustav Heim, the director of the NAMH, states within the letter that he is disturbed that Dr. Mary Agana may proceed with her plan regardless. Dr. Agana opens up her own facility, Living Fearlessly: Specialized Treatments for Fear Based Ailments, in 1958 to begin her immersive therapy program. She hires assistants from a local facility, that are believed to be ex-cons or mental patients. Over the course of a few months, Mary sees several patients and discovers new ways to “cure” them of their fears and phobias. However, due to the disappearance of Charlie McPherson, a freelance photographer hired by private investigator Boris Shuster, Shuster begins an investigation into Dr. Mary Agana and her clinic. As patients begin to disappear from the clinic, Boris begins to wonder what really goes on inside of Dr. Agana’s practice. Mary begins to suspect she is being watched, perhaps by Boris, as well as by her grandmother Mary Worthington through the mirror. Shuster makes an appointment with Dr. Mary Agana on August 27, 1958 to discover the truth behind the mysterious psychiatrist. On this night, Mary Agana is brutally murdered, supposedly by Boris Shuster, but her body was never found (it was later dicovered that the murderer was a man named David Gronoll, a boxer/ ex- con who was either one of her patients or one of the assistants who worked for her). Some believe that the spirit of “Bloody Mary,” none other than Mary’s grandmother Mary Worthington, had been gradually possessing Dr. Mary Agana since she inherited her heirlooms in June of 1958. In 2008, Legendary Truth: The Collective, which was started by Boris Shuster back in 1958, begins an investigation on the disappearance of Mary Agana. Collective field operatives collect information and visit Dr. Agana’s office, which is still in utter disarray since her brutal death. At 11:03 pm on August 27, 2008, a manifestation of “Bloody Mary” is detected by the field agents, whom were never heard from again. Calvin Thorncastle, CEO of Legendary Truth: The Collective, quickly dispatches new operatives into Mary Agana’s world to collect additional information on the doctor and her relationship to “Bloody Mary” and the seven patients that fell victim to her treatments. The Patients Eileen Harrell Markham Harrell (artist) marries Louise Hatfield (storyteller - Grimm’s fairytales) in 1920. They have a daughter, Eileen Harrell, on June 16, 1922. Eileen opens her own company illustrating children’s storybooks in 1954, but quickly goes bankrupt. She then begins working for a publishing business and publishes “Children’s Classics” in April 1955. Eileen also illustrated for comic books, most notably AtomicComics volume number 24, entitled “Creatures!” that was based off of the mysterious death of bar owner Jim Deedle. Eileen regularly attends the Kitty Kat Club bar, where she meets Michael Petty and draws illustrations on a napkin keepsake for Michael. Eileen makes an appointment on July 9, 1958 to see Dr. Mary Agana in order to cure her fear of myths and legends, particularly the Headless Horseman. Dr. Agana exposes her to a severed head, which sets Eileen into convulsion and uncontrolled hysteria. As a result, Dr. Agana arranged hospitalization and medication in a private facility. Lt. Von Stebler German-American Admiral George Von Stebler (retired naval admiral and harbor master) fathers a son on December 11, 1936. Due to circumstances surrounding his father’s life during WWII, Lt. Von Stebler grows up with a fear of the infamous legend “Bloody Mary.” Lt. Von Stebler is rejected as an applicant to become an astronaut by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics due to his psychological distress. In order to help his son who is facing a Section 8 discharge from the U.S. Navy, George brings him to Dr. Christian Kubsch, who is a board member for the National Association of Mental Health. Unable to help Lt. Von Stebler with his fear himself, George Von Stebler becomes desperate for help. Admiral Von Stebler suggests taking his son to Dr. Mary Agana, who specializes in fear therapy, but Dr. Kubsch warns him not to bring his son to Dr. Agana since he was familiar with her work and her untraditional and possibly dangerous practices. Going against Dr. Kubsch’s opinion, George Von Stebler makes an appointment for his son to visit with Dr. Agana on July 15, 1958 in order to cure his fear of “visions” of undefined symbols that he believes will lead to catastrophic events. Dr. Agana exposes him to a slideshow of Dr. Kubsch’s fishing trip in the summer of 1946, during which time Lt. Von Stebler first saw these symbols, which led him to uncontrollable night terrors. During the slideshow, Von Stebler is strapped into a seat that forces him to view the images, which ultimately cause him to inflict several gashes and wounds into his own body during the treatment, particuarlll with a fountain pen. As a result, Dr. Agana arranged hospitalization and medication in a private facility. Dr. Agana kept the pen as a momento. Charlie McPherson Shawn McPherson (photographer) graduates from Ohio University and replaces John R. Neill in 1930 as head magazine photographer. Shawn fathers a son, Charlie, on November 26, 1918. Charlie becomes a photographer with the Metropolitan Tribune in 1948, but is fired in 1955. He becomes a freelance photographer and one of his first jobs, in 1955, deals with him photographing Thornton M. Kesterson, a gem dealer whose reputation is in dispute. McPherson is then hired by private investigator Boris Shuster in 1958 to take pictures of Frank Bennett’s infidelity against his wife Diane Bennett. Charlie McPherson makes an appointment on July 22, 1958 to see Dr. Mary Agana in order to cure his fear of seeing ghostly images in his photography. Also knowing about his fears of the dark and of enclosed spaces, Dr. Agana places McPherson in a glass box with limited air and gives him the choice to entomb himself in the box or to open the lid and face his fear of the surroundings, which included a dark room filled with flash bulbs illuminating ghostly images. McPherson chooses not to open the lid and he dies due to a lack of oxygen, becoming Dr. Agana's first victim. This marks a change: One in Dr. Agana's behavior, and Boris begins to investigate MacPherson's disappearence. Johnny Deedle Jim Deedle opens the Butchered Buck bar in 1935. In 1939, Jim’s sister, Carla, marries Peter Samish (gun dealer), who owns his own company, Samish Gun Supply Wholesalers. Jim fathers a son, Johnny Deedle, on July 29, 1940 and he organizes a celebration in his bar on August 15, 1940. Jim dies under unexplained circumstances, which causes his son to move in with his uncle and becomes an apprentice gunsmith. Johnny reads volume 24 of AtomicComics entitled “Creatures!”, which was illustrated by Eileen Harrell. The comic book focused on the invasion of alien-like creatures with long tentacles that killed a man by the name of Jim Deedle. As a result of the traumatizing comic book, Johnny quickly develops a fear of creatures living under his bed, which is presumably tied into his father’s mysterious death. To protect the Butchered Buck, Peter Samish begins supplying shotguns to the bar in 1957. Samish begins to worry about his eighteen-year-old nephew and makes an appointment for him to see Dr. Mary Agana in hopes that her immersive fear therapy will cure him of his phobia. Johnny sees Dr. Mary Agana on July 30, 1958 so she can help stop his recurring nightmares of strangulation by a octopus-like creature. Dr. Agana blindfolds Johnny and ties ropes around his body to make it seem as if he is being strangulated. She gives him the choice to stand there and continue to be strangulated by the “tentacles” or to step off the ledge (simply a table) into the green abyss he so often fears. Johnny chooses to step off the ledge, which results in his strangulation since Dr. Agana had tied a noose around his neck. Diane Bennett Charles Dodgson, Sr. and an unnamed minor give birth to a son, Charles Dodgson, Jr. Charles, Jr. fathers a daughter, Alice Dodgson, who develops a stutter as a result of a speech impediment that both her father and grandfather possessed. Alice mothers a daughter, Diane (Dodgson) Bennett, on November 21, 1920. Diane becomes a drama and vocal coach who develops a fear of stories and fairytales after reading “Children‘s Classics,” which was published through Eileen Harrell‘s company. Diane marries Frank Bennett in New York City on March 25, 1951. Frank becomes unfaithful to his wife and Diane hires private investigator Boris Shuster to look into Frank’s possible infidelity. Freelance photographer Charlie McPherson takes photographs of Frank with his mistress, which ultimately results in the divorce between Diane and Frank Bennett in July of 1958. This traumatic experience for Diane enhances her fear of stories that end with “happily ever after.” Diane Bennett makes an appointment on August 8, 1958 to see Dr. Mary Agana in order to cure her fear of poetry and stories. Dr. Agana places Diane in the center of a circle, where she is surrounded by hypnotized patients from a local facility. When the testing begins, the patients begin reciting lines from various fairy tales, which causes Diane to enter a severe bout of crying and hysteria. When she can no longer handle the immersive treatment, Diane recites the safe word (presumably “Mary”), which triggers the patients to brutally attack and kill her. Thornton Kesterson Aldridge Kesterson moves from town to town around New England during the 1880’s as a carpenter and coffin maker. Aldridge fathers a son, Thornton M. Kesterson, on March 9, 1891 in Bristol County. Aldridge is suspected of criminal activity, possibly involving the smuggling of bodies to and from London as a result of the “Jack the Ripper” murders. Due to Aldridge’s suspected relationship to Body Collector George (Chapman) Kubsch and the “Ripper” murders, the Kestersons permanently relocated to the MidWest in 1892. Strong evidence, such as Thornton’s school poems, shows that Aldridge was physiologically abusive to his son throughout his childhood years. Aldridge is hired by Mr. Renshaw of the Carey, Ohio schoolhouse to be the handyman. On August 27, 1908, he developed a Halloween prank that would target the school teacher, Mary Worthington. He convinced six school children to participate in the ritual, while Thornton was scared by his father’s plan and left the schoolhouse running into the cornfields. Aldridge’s plan went too far and resulted in the accidental death/disappearence of Mary Worthingtone , which left blood and broken glass shattered across the schoolhouse. As an adult, Thornton becomes a gem trader and travels around the world in search for precious and valuable gems. He became paranoid of the various diseases that he might contract on his expeditions and developed a fear of fire, viruses, and cannibalism. Thornton visited the office of Dr. Christian Kubsch, a general practitioner at the time, to receive a variety of vaccinations from 1942-1943. His reputation as a reputable diamond broker came into question in 1955 when freelance photographer Charlie McPherson caught Thornton smuggling diamonds and other precious gems into the country. Thornton Kesterson makes an appointment on August 18, 1958 to see Dr. Mary Agana in order to cure his fear of being contaminated from his many international trips. Also knowing about his fear of fire, Dr. Agana straps Thornton into a table that is placed in front of an industrial jet. She tells him that the flames from the jet will help "decontaminate" him, but when she turns the jet on, Thornton is quickly incinerated. Dr. Christian Kubsch Andrew Borden fathers a daughter, Lizzie, in London, England. Andrew builds coffins for a living and is noted for making coffins for two of the “Jack the Ripper” victims, Mary Ann Nichols who was murdered on August 31, 1888 and Elizabeth Stride who was murdered on September 30, 1888. The autopsies for Nichols and Stride were conducted by George Chapman, who is under suspicion for being involved in their deaths based on evidence of falsified death certificates. It is also believed that George Chapman was the founder of the Body Collectors outfit, which collects and murders people to sell their bodies and body parts on the black market. This, along with Chapman’s side job of being a barber (“Sweeny Todd”) and general practitioner, helped supplement his family income. With the fear of being caught, George Chapman fled to the United States in 1888, where he changed the family name from Chapman to Kubsch. In 1892, George fathered a son, Jeremiah Kubsch. George Kubsch returned to England in 1903, when his real identity of Seweryn Klosowski was discovered, and was hung for murdering his three wives as part of his “collecting” business. Back in the United States, Jeremiah Kubsch attends school in the small town of Carey, Ohio. When he turned eighteen, Jeremiah and seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Carol of England gave birth to a son, Christian Kubsch on May 5, 1910 in the Wyandot County Hospital. Christian grows up to be a general practitioner and he immunizes gem dealer Thornton Kesterson between 1942 and 1943 so he can travel the world looking for exotic and precious gems and diamonds. He takes a break from his job and goes on a fishing trip in the summer of 1946 with navy pilot Lt. Von Stebler and his father Admiral George Von Stebler, where he creates a slideshow of their trip. Curious about the human mind and Von Stebler’s developing fear of apocalyptic signs, Christian becomes a doctor of psychiatry in 1948. He is also driven to make this decision due to his own developing fear of operations and cadavers, which probably emulated from the work of his grandfather. Christian Kubsch is hired by Dr. Gustav Heim to be a board member of the National Association of Mental Health. He is later approached by George Von Stebler, who is requesting help for his son, Lt. Von Stebler and his growing fear of apocalyptic “visions” and signs. Christian cannot offer help, but warns George Von Stebler about the practices of Dr. Mary Agana, one of their doctors. In 1958, Dr. Mary Agana requests funding from the NAMH for her Phobia Exposure Therapy Project. On June 25, 1958, Dr. Heim and the board members of the NAMH deny this grant to Dr. Agana for fear that her treatments would cause irreversible damage to her patients. Dr. Mary Agana leaves the NAMH and begins her own business. She kidnaps Christian Kubsch and brings him to her office on August 20, 1958, where she brutally kills him by drilling a hole through his back in attempts to cure him of his fear of dead bodies and gruesome operations. Boris Shuster, P.I. Boris Shuster is a private investigator in New York City. He is hired by Diane Bennett to investigate the possible infidelity of her husband, Frank. Boris hires freelance photographer Charlie McPherson to take photographs of the affair. His pictures do indicate Frank’s infidelity, which leads to the Bennetts’ divorce, but McPherson disappears in the process of acquiring additional proof. Boris discovers that Charlie McPherson disappeared after making an appointment with Dr. Mary Agana, founder of Living Fearlessly: Specialized Treatments for Fear Based Ailments in upstate New York. Shuster begins an investigation on the works and practices of Dr. Agana after her patients gradually begin to disappear. With hopes of finding the ultimate truth behind the bizarre practice of Dr. Agana, Boris makes an appointment with Dr. Mary Agana on August 27, 1958, claiming that he has a fear of doctors. It is unknown exactly what happened during the session, but two things have been confirmed: first, that a boxer and former convict named David Gromnoll was her "killer", not Boris as previously suspected; and Dr. Mary Agana was never seen in this world again. Following this traumatic incident, Boris organizes the Legendary Truth: The Collective in order to research this, and other paranormal events that have occurred over the years. The full fate of Boris Shuster is still not known, but hopefully the Legendary Truth operatives will soon discover what really happened on the night of August 27, 1958. Appearances As the event icon, Bloody Mary made a number of appearances before and during the event. She was the main advertising tool in commercials, and appeared in some off the mazes in the event. Prior to the event After the revelation of Bloody Mary as the event icon, the website was updated with her appearing to crash out of a mirror after it said her name three times. A number of billboards appeared in the Orlando area featuring her face and glowing eyes with the word "Bloody" written looking like blood. Additionally, a commercial featuring her mirror world was shown on television. In the commercial, Mary is sitting at her mirror with a man on the other side. He continually says her name, and on the third she breaks out of the mirror lunging at him screaming. At the event In Mary's story, it is painful every time she breaks out of the mirror, which is why she screams. For this reason, there was not a main, opening show featuring her. The only show she in which she appeared was the media-only Opening Scare-a-monies. In the show, an investigator brought a mirror and placed it on the stage in front of the audience. With the audience chanting her name, and a flicker of the lights, Mary crashed out of the mirror and was interviewed by the media. The general public also experienced Mary during the event. A large LED screen was placed in the entrance to the park. Looking like a mirror, Mary would talk from it taunting guests to enter her world. Periodically she would break out of the screen like a mirror, screaming as she did so. Additionally, Mary appeared in a number of the mazes. A ghostly apparition of her appeared in The Hallow and Scary Tales: Once Upon a Nightmare, and her picture appeared in the static of a television in Creatures! and a monitor in Interstellar Terror. Finally, Dr. Agana's office was visited in the Reflections of Fear maze, where both of Mary's personalities made appearances. Twenty Years of Fear Bloody Mary, while not appearing in the any houses or scarezones, was featured as part of the VIP Lounge area at the the event as a manaquin wearing her doctor's coat. See also *Living Fearlessly *Boris Shuster *Reflections of Fear External links *Halloween Horror Nights 18 Commercial featuring Bloody Mary *Opening Scare-a-monies with Bloody Mary Category:Halloween Horror Nights: Reflections of Fear Category:HHNOrlando Icons